A Fairytale Romance
by Sybbelle
Summary: Prompt: S/T actors in a rom-com who actually end up falling in love while filming, so inspired by OUAT this take place while filming a modern version of Snow White and Prince Charming


**A Fairytale Romance**

__So this was a prompt sent to me a few days ago by shana-rosee, so I hope it was worth the wait. And thank you to the wonderful yankeecountess for being beta!__

_Prompts: S/T actors in a rom-com who actually end up falling in love au_

Looking around the reception area of D&M Productions Tom Branson was taken aback by the rather modest design choices. The room wasn't gaudy to the point of tacky and covered in flashy 'gold' painted furniture or cold and sterile with a black and white colour scheme. Instead the room felt warm and inviting, which was probably unusual for an office space that came along with a Hollywood director. But the familiarity of the green walls and the oddly miss-matched furniture wasn't helping to settle the nerves Tom could feel building up; he still couldn't even believe he was really doing this.

"You're mad, absolutely flipping mad Barrow, and I don't even know why I keep you around anymore" Tom hissed into his iPhone, hoping that the short petite receptionist wasn't eavesdropping in on their conversation.

"Because no one else will have you, and we both know that I'm the best damn managent you'll find in the West End!" his agent Thomas Barrow declared with such self-assurance it amazed Tom that he never went in to acting himself…he definitely had the ego for it. "Besides, we both know that I'm the best damn managent you'll find in the West End. And let's not forget that having an openly gay managent wins you brownie points with the LGBQT fans".

"For the millionth time 'managent' isn't a real word…" Tom quipped with a roll of his eyes. His agent/manager could be exhausting most of the times even if he was one of the best in the business. And despite the months of unemployment, or constant rejections that came with being an actor, Thomas never wavered in his loyalty to Tom…never even thought about dropping him for that English bloke who played in all those Marvel films.

"Well, it's a lot easier then saying Casting Agent and Talent Manager," Thomas retorted. "Now stop being so whiney and focus on this meeting…keep your eye on the prize."

"But a rom-com…are you serious, Barrow?" he questioned his "managent" skeptically. Tom had never been in a romantic comedy before; in fact he was normally the guy rolling his eyes at all the clichéd plot lines.

"What's wrong with a rom-com?" Thomas protested with a sound of indignation, like Tom had personally offended his own character.

"Nothing's wrong with rom-coms," replied Tom quickly, and smiled even though Thomas couldn't see in a gesture intended to placate him. "In fact, they're perfectly fine for a date," he lied, "but remember I've _never been in one_ _before._ You know my CV; I've done period dramas, spy dramas, and theatre on the West End, but rom-coms…"

"So what, you think you're too good for an old fashion romantic comedy?" Thomas mocked, his voice suddenly high and pitchy with a 'hoity-toity' tone.

"Don't be fecking ridiculous, Thomas…" Tom snapped, the sound of his own voice being high enough to attract the receptionist's attention; she'd said her name was Rose MacClare.

"Mr Branson," the receptionist called out to him, smiling awkwardly at his outburst, she pointed towards the closed doors. "Mr Mason and Ms Robinson are ready to see you now."

"Ta," he thanked her quickly and stood, pressing the phone between his ear and his shoulder, Tom tried to straighten out his corduroy jacket. "I just don't know about this Thomas…you still haven't even told me what this film's about."

"That's because the details were sketchy when I got the call," Thomas sighed into the phone. He loved representing with Tom; he especially loved it now more so since the period drama Highclere became a global phenomenon. He'd just wish that Branson would learn to ask fewer questions and trust him...he'd been right about the part of the chauffeur after all. "All you need to know is that Mason specifically asked for _you, _and this could be the break we need to make it in Hollywood."

"But I'm happy with the way my career's going," Tom argued, turning his back on the receptionist for some privacy. He could feel her eyes burning into him as she waited for Tom to show him in. "I'm happy there in the UK, and the show's a success…I'm not fussed about 'breaking out' in the States. I've seen what happens in Hollywood, and it isn't pretty."

"Oh Branson, you really know how to make a guy laugh," Thomas let out a hollow laugh that even sent a shiver down Tom's spine. "Now don't screw it up!" and with those final words of encouragement, Thomas hung up, leaving Tom to his own demise.

"Mr Branson…" Rose let his name linger in the air. Whilst her disapproving tone had a bite to it, almost as if the words 'pft actor' were on the tip of her tongue, but left unsaid for propriety's sake. Tom could only imagine the gut full of touchy, self-indulgent to the point of narcissistic actors, walk through that front door over the years.

Tom took a deep breath, set his shoulders straight, looked Rose squarely in the eyes and apologised for keeping everyone waiting. He even threw in a genuine smile to help win her over, and when he saw her 'completely profession' demeanor begin to melt he smiled even brighter. Proud of himself that he at least managed to win the receptionist over, Tom strode through those doors like he belonged there, and like he knew exactly what he was doing. After all he was an actor, how hard could it be to act his way through this audition?

-/-

When Tom had first announced to his family that he wanted to be an actor his father's only response had been "wonderful. Just have a back-up profession like mechanics," which is probably why after nearly five seasons in to _Highclere, _Tom still enjoyed playing the chauffeur. In some twisted sense he was following his Da's advice, everyday he learnt something new from the mechanics on set.

Still, he'd never come to appreciate the idea of casting calls, auditions, and all the hoops he had to jump through just to even be _considered _for a part. Tom hated auditions since nothing ever changed; he always left feeling sick, palms sweating, heart racing, and at the end of the day, braced himself for the ultimate rejection he just knew was coming.

But everything about this day had been so surreal for Tom; it wasn't anything like the horror stories he'd heard from his fellow actors back home. From what he'd seen so far, William and Daisy Mason were the most down-to-earth people he'd probably ever meet in Hollywood, and his possible co-star…well she'd left him tongue-tied.

He was pretty certain that he'd heard the name Sybil when introductions were being made, but Tom struggled to focus on anything other then her sparkling blue eyes. She wasn't like your typical actress; dressed up to the nines in designer clothes, with thick caked-on makeup to make her look even younger than she was. Instead, she sat across from the director with a high ponytail, black leggings, ballet flats, and an old sweater with faded letters that Tom could just make out to read _Julliard_. She looked comfortable, natural, and absolutely stunning that, not to sound like a walking-talking rom-com cliché, she took Tom's breath away.

"Mr Branson," director William Mason called out for his attention, gesturing to the empty seat beside Sybil. "We appreciate you being able to fly out to L.A. so quickly on such short notice."

"Honestly, it was no problem at all," Tom waved it off as he took his seat, desperately trying to keep his eyes to the front.

"Excellent!" William clapped in excitement. "Now, the reason Daisy and I have asked you both here is because we have a project in the works, and we think you'd both be perfect for the lead roles."

"We know that we were rather sketchy with your agents about the premise of the film," added Daisy. Like a tag team they seemed to have a habit of finishing each other's sentences, "but we're close to finalizing all the details!"

"The idea actually came to us a few months ago," William took over; like a rally game, the two kept hitting back and forth. He wondered if this was normal, if working with someone for so long meant that they'd just finally reach a point of understanding…where not much really needed to be said. "The big studios are jumping on board all these 'modern fairytale remakes'; I mean we've had _Maleficent, Red Riding Hood, Alice in Wonderland, Mirror Mirror…_and who didn't love _Tangled_…"

"William…" Daisy said his name with a warning tone; he was getting way too excited.

"Right, sorry. So what we thought was 'why not a modern romantic comedy of Snow White and Prince Charming'?" William's overzealous declaration went awkwardly unanswered for a brief moment.

Sybil and Tom shared a fleeting glance, both skeptical of what the director and producer were proposing. "Haven't they already done one?" Sybil finally spoke up for the first time. And the soft, sweet sound of her voice had Tom completely hooked…if he wasn't already.

"No, no, no," Daisy was quick to reassure them, "we've done the research, looked into it and found that while there are adapted versions made in the past…"

"Like _Snow White and the Huntsman _starring that _Twilight _girl…" William pointed out; Tom struggled not to laugh at the face both Masons pulled at the mere mention of the film franchise.

"What's the difference?" asked Tom, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Setting," Sybil whispered, leaning over her armrest. Tom could smell the lavender scent of her shampoo. He couldn't help it, he took a deep breath and the scent of her completely overwhelmed him…he wasn't even sure how long he sat like that, breathing her in, until William cleared his throat.

"Setting?" Tom managed to get out in his sweet smelling induced haze.

Sybil giggled, _she bloody giggled!_ Tom started to get the feeling that Miss Sybil knew exactly what she was doing; knew the kind of effect she was already having on him.

"Typically most Snow White adaptations have preserved the setting of an enchanted forest or have been turned into an animation," Sybil explained, worrying her bottom lip to stop herself from laughing.

"Exactly!" William exclaimed, over excited that at least Sybil got the idea.

"Now what we're hoping to do is to place Snow White and Prince Charming in a modern context…" Daisy finally decided to get to the nitty-gritty bits of the details. "See, how their true love would flourish and survive in the 21st century."

"The script is still in the early stages, but we thought it would be good to have you two perform a reading," Daisy explained, extending her hand out to them with copies of the script.

Tom took the proffered script hesitantly, trying to gauge Sybil's reaction so far, yet the young brunette refused to give anything away. "So I'd be prince charming and she…" he pointed to Sybil, "would be Snow White?"

"Prince Charming may be young in our film but he still has many of those old, worldly values and beliefs…" William tried to reassure him. "And we've seen what you can do on _Highclere_, it's practically all anyone can talk about here in the States. So who better to play an old fashioned guy than you?"

"Yes…however, Bellasis is more of a rebel within the system than a 'man of the times'," Tom pointed out, taking on a thicker Irish brogue accent as he normally did when got worked up.

Sybil couldn't help but giggle, and he couldn't blame her. Tom knew that was coming off a lot more defensive then he meant to be, and lacked a sense of excitement over the project…in fact he was doing the exact opposite of what Thomas told him to do. He was _completely _screwing this up, yet he couldn't help himself; he couldn't keep his mouth shut.

"Perhaps Mr Mason, you could give us a run through of the film's plot and then we could do a reading?" Sybil suggested, as a means to help save Tom from putting his foot in any deeper.

"Ah yes; well Snow White volunteers at a local hospital; she always wanted to be a nurse but her father forced her into studying something more 'practical' like law. There, she meets a man who is in a coma and begins to read fairytales to him, only when he awakes, he's completely convinced that he really is Prince Charming and that she really is Snow White".

"Where do the dwarves come into this?" asked Sybil curiously, the dwarves had always been her favourite thing about Disney's_ Snow White…_especially Grumpy because he reminded her of her father.

"They don't…there aren't any dwarves," William looked across at Daisy with confusion; his brow furrowed in anxiety over how downhill this meeting seemed to be going.

"No dwarves…" Tom spoke up, looking across to Sybil he chuckled in disbelief, "next you'll be telling us that there's no Evil Queen, either".

"Well, there's no Evil Queen _per say_…" Daisy hesitated, sharing a nervous look with her husband.

Definitely not how they pictured this meeting would go down.

She knew that some of the traditional Disney fanatics would struggle with their twist on the fairytale; Daisy just never imagined their potential stars would be the first cab off the rank. "You see, towards the end of the film it's revealed Prince Charming's 'delusions' are a result of a brain tumor that very well could kill him…"

"But there is a silver-lining to the story…"

"Really?" Tom scoffed, his deadpan expression making it clear that he wasn't sold on any of this so far. "Because so far, there's no seven dwarves, no Evil Queen, and you're killing Prince Charming off with a brain tumor…I'm failing to see the 'romantic' or 'comedic' side to this".

"Charming's life can be saved by an operation," Daisy quickly went to bat for her husband, showing a hint of her more fiery side to her personality, which she preferred to keep hidden. "Although the pay off would be that he loses all memory of having ever met Snow…"

"So the happily ever after part?" Sybil asked, her lips quirking at the sound of Tom's sigh, gathering he was relieved to know he wasn't the only one having doubts.

"Well, in the end Snow White gives Prince Charming a true love's kiss and he awakes from his surgery with memory in tact and says, "I could never forget that kiss."

"See the twist; in our film the _princess_ is a hero in the end, instead of a 'damsel in distress'," Daisy declared with pride because that was personally her idea. But seeing that she failed to sell their idea, Daisy laughed awkwardly, trying hard to hide her disappointment. "Now, how about that read through?"

"Ah, before we begin," William interrupted, "how's your American accent?" a question directed at Tom.

"Excuse me, my what?" He'd managed to catch Tom by surprise; he never thought his Irish accent might be a problem.

"You're American accent," William repeated slowly. "I mean no one's ever heard of an _Irish_ Prince Charming, before".

Tom cleared his throat and turned to Sybil, silently imploring her to begin her lines before things got any worse…if that was even possible. So they both turned towards one another, knees knocking against each other, scripts getting tangled…they both fumbled around like it was their very first audition.

"_You know, I think I liked you better when you were in a coma; you're far less annoying with your mouth closed,"_ Sybil read with a snippy tone.

"_And deprive you of my dashing good looks and charming personality?" _Tom smirked at her, running his tongue across his bottom lip for good measure.

"_You're a real Prince Charming, that's for sure," _Sybil deadpanned with a roll of her eyes.

"_Snow, Snow!" [He calls out to Snow as she leaves his hospital room]._

"_For the last time, my name isn't Snow, Snow White, Snowing or any other 'snow related' name you can think up of. It's Kate; Kate Stone," _Sybil exclaimed, her cheeks flushed_._

"_Sno…Kate, I offer you my sincerest apologies my lady, but you can't blame a gentleman for being taken by your beauty with those sparkling blue eyes, bright red lips and fair skin as white as…"_

"_Don't even finish that sentence," _Sybil warned, completely entranced the two stared deeply into each other's eyes_. _

"Wonderful, absolutely wonderful!" William declared, clapping his hands enthusiastically. "Unfortunately, we have a deadline meeting with the Universal folks," he looked down at his watch to emphasise his point. "So we'll be in touch with your agents and look forward to a productive and successful partnership!"

He shook both Sybil and Tom's hands while Daisy politely escorted them out the door with a slight nod goodbye from Rose the receptionist.

Standing out on the sidewalk, Tom looked up and down the deserted street; it was a lot quieter than he would've expected for an afternoon in L.A…_goes to show you can't believe everything you see in films_, he joked in his head.

"I never would've pegged you as a staunch traditionalist when it comes to fairytales…" Sybil teased, playfully poking him in the shoulder though she couldn't figure out why she had a sudden urge to touch him.

"I'm not…it's just that…well, you can't honestly be considering this role, can you?" Tom was flustered, his face turning beet red as he pointed towards the building they just exited. "I mean, as flattered as I am that they thought of me, you have to agree that there are some glaringly obvious script issues."

"It doesn't have to follow the 'traditional fairytale' to the letter; it wouldn't be an 'adaptation' if it did," Sybil tried to reason. "And it helps that I've worked with William and Daisy before. While things might look a bit chaotic right now, I have no doubt that in the end, they'll manage to pull it all together."

Tom hesitated, not wanting to say anything that would offend an obviously mutual friendship between the three of them. He knew that _Highclere's _writer had been criticized lately for taking a lot more liberties with their scripts, and even the absurdity of some others. But for some reason, Tom struggled to wrap his head around this film more than he did with idea that in this season finale the rebel chauffeur ran away with the Lord's youngest daughter.

Readjusting the strap of her bag, Sybil took a step back and sighed; it would've been fun working opposite Tom Branson, she had no doubt. But it was clear to her that he wasn't interested, and it left her feeling disappointed, though it had nothing to do with her 'closet fangirling' over _Highclere_ and his character Bellasis, as her makeup-artist Gwen Dawson liked to put it.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr Branson…"

"Tom," he corrected Sybil, shaking her hand goodbye.

"Tom…" his name lingered on her lips, trying to decide if she _just _liked the sound of his name. "Well, it'd be a shame if you decide to pass on the film, I think it would've been fun working together…lord knows I've had enough of these pretentious actors who think they're the next Bogie or Brando".

"So that's it then, you're going to do film?"

"Didn't you know Tom Branson, it's every girls dream to play fairytale princess for a day," Sybil answered, then spontaneously kissed him on the cheek without thinking too much about it.

Rooted to his spot, Tom was dumbfounded as he helplessly watched the beautiful brunette walk away and cross the street with a skip in her step…she literally _skipped_. Maybe, Tom wondered to himself, just maybe he was a little hasty in judging this new film?


End file.
